Innovations in digital modelling for next generation manufacturing system design

Interlinked and autonomous manufacturing systems provide new opportunities in smart manufacturing. Today's manufacturing system design processes and architecture still are based on traditional engineering methods and can hardly cope with increased system complexity. Hence new cyber physical production systems (CPPS) design and architecture principles as well as corresponding validation and verification methods are necessary. This paper presents firstly a new architecture design approach for modularised design of CPPS. Secondly, new capabilities in designing with modular construction kits, simulating functional behaviour and validating with virtual, functional prototype are introduced. Thirdly, a proposal for the development approach and virtual validation is presented and risks as well as challenges are discussed.